Method and apparatus for flanging parts of cans



Oct. 18, 1960 w. H. DIEZEL 2,956,610

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FLANGING PARTS OF CANS Filed July .23, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 1N VEN TOR. W g v{/. BY W Oct. 18, 1960 w. H. DIEZEL 2,

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FLANGING PARTSOF CANS Filed July 23, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ticl.a.

INVENTOR. BY a -M Oct. 18, 1960 w. H. DIEZEL 2,956,610

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FLANGING PARTS OF CANS Filed July 23, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 N VENTOR:

Oct. 18, 1960 w. H. DIEZEL 2, 5 ,6 0

METHQD AND APPARATUS FOR FLANGING PARTS OF CANS Filed July 2:, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR: BY zwA vr W United States. Patent METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FLANGING PARTS OF CANS Willy H. Diezel, Fairfield, Coun., assignor to The Max Ams Machine Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of New York Filed July 23, 1958, Ser. No. 750,372

'15 Claims. (Cl. 153-59) This invention relates to an improved method and improved apparatus for forming flanges on the ends of can bodies preliminary to seaming bottoms and/or tops on the cans. More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for forming such flanges on parts of irregularlyshaped or non-circular cans. indicated by the context, references herein to a flange or to flanges on a can body refer to a flat flange or flanges initially formed prior to the formation of a seam or seams, including such a flange or flanges, which seam formation is commonly performed in a separate, subsequent mechanical operation.

In the manufacture of cans of the type wherein the bottom and/or top ends are seamed to the body of the can by a rolled-in double seam, it is necessary preliminarily to provide a flange on the end of the can body to which a bottom or cover is to be seamed. Presently known means for flanging the ends of circular can bodies are quite satisfactory; yielding a flange which extends outwardly from the can body at an angle of approximately 90, the angle best suited for a satisfactory, subsequent, seaming operation. With such circular can bodies, the stretching of the metal forming the flange is substantially uniform completely around the can body and that condition of uniformity leads to the formation of a satisfactory flange.

Prior methods and apparatus for flanging can bodies, however, are not satisfactory for flanging can bodies which are non-circular or irregular in shape as, for example, a can body which is oblong, or square, or of some other non-circular shape. When prior means are employed in an attempt to form a flange on an irregularlyshaped can body, the flange, instead of being at the desired angle of approximately 90, may be at one angle at several points about the can body and at substantially different Unless specifically noted or ice 2 and of a desired uniform width completely around a can body.

Another important object is the provision of a flanging apparatus which deforms an end of an irregularly-shaped can body to form a flange thereon at a desired angle and which includes means for giving to the thus-formed flange a set which will enable the flange substantially to retain its desired angularity.

The foregoing and other more or less obvious objects are achieved by the present invention, of which a preferred embodiment is shown and described herein for illustrative purposes without, however, limiting the invention to the particular disclosed embodiment.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, approximately central, vertical, sectional view toward one end of a flanging machine embodying a preferred form of this invention, the end not shown being substantially the same as the shown portion insofar as concerns this invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view substantially on the line 22 'of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a detailed enlargement of the portion of Fig. l which is enclosed within broken lines, including, also, a fragmentary portion of a can body about to have a flange formed thereon.

Fig. 4 is an end, elevational view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 and as seen from the line 44 in said figure.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged fragmentary, sectional views of cooperating parts of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3, said figures illustrating, in order, a series of stages in the entry of a can body into flange-forming portions of thereon.

angles at other points about the can body; or the flange may be considerably wrinkled and/or of non-uniform width. Thus, for example, if a can body is substantially rectangular is shape, with curvature about relatively short radii at the four corners, a flange formed on such a can body by prior means would be badly deformed, or of nonuniform width, or be disposed at one angle at each of the four corners and at an entirely different angle at each of the flat sides; or the flange might have several of such defects, any one of which may suflice to defeat the formation of a satisfactory seam.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is the provision of a method and apparatus for forming, on an irregularly-shaped can body, a flange which is of a desired angle uniformly about the entire can body.

Another important object is the provision of a method and apparatus for forming, on an irregularly-shaped can body, a flange which is of uniform width completely around the can body.

Another important object is the provision of a method and apparatus for forming, on an irregularly-shaped can the apparatus to impose a flange formation on the metal constituting an end of a can body.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the illustrated machine has a main or turret shaft 10, the opposite ends of which are journaled for rotation in bearings 12 (the bearing at only one end being shown) supported in Walls of a machine frame 14. Means are provided 'at the end of the machine illustrated in the drawings for continuously turning the shaft 10 and turrets 16 and 16:: which are suitably keyed Said shaft-turning means include a motor 18, a belt 20, through which the motor turns a pinion 22, a spur gear 24 turned by said pinion, a worm 26 which turns with gear 24 and a worm wheel 28, turned by said worm and suitably keyed to shaft 10 to turn the latter. Such shaft-turning means are not required at the other end of shaft 10. v

The turrets 16 and 16a are substantially alike and oppose each other with an intervening space to accommodate can bodies to be processed, and the same is true of flanging mechanisms carried by said turrets; therefore, the description hereinafter of turret 16 and it related flanging mechanisms should serve to afford an understanding of turret 16a and its related flanging mechanisms.

In a vertical, transverse plane, midway between the turrets 16 and 16a, and at the top of the machine, is a can-body feed chute 30 which receives can bodies C from a suitable supply source and has a feeder wheel 32, continuously rotating in a hook-shaped lower end of said chute, in step peripherally with the turret 16, and provided with fingers 34 which push can bodies separately into successively presented pockets 36 in a can-body hold ing wheel 38 which is suitably keyed on shaft 10 between opposed flanging heads'40, 40a carried by the turrets 16, 16a. The wheel 32 turns in the direction of arrow 42. and the wheel 38, and the turrets 16 and 16a turn in the direction of arrow 44. Flanged can bodies drop from they are discharged from the machine for further process 1 ing.

As will hereinafter be more fully explained, opposite ends of a can body are flanged simultaneously in the disclosed embodiment of this invention, and, as an important incident to such fianging, directly opposing fianging heads 40 and 40a, carried by turrets 16 and 16a, slide toward each other in unison to force-dies of said opposing fianging heads into flange-forming association with the ends of the can body. Then, after the flanges have been formed, the said opposing fianging heads. slide away from each other to release the fianged'can body and receive another can on which a flange is.similarly to be formed. The illustrated machine has five pockets 36 in the holding wheel 38 and each turret has fivefianging heads which are in axial alignment with respect to said pockets. Opposing fianging heads 40, 40aarenearest to each other from about point X to about point Y of their circular path of travel about the shaft 10, as shown in Fig. 2, and, excepting short periods of movement toward and away from each other, the opposing flanging heads are farthest from each other throughout the remainder of said circular path. These explanations should aid in understanding the following descriptionof one of ten similar fianging assemblies each of which'includes such a fianging head.

Each of the ten fianging assemblies includes a fianging head 40 (or 40a), means by which the latter is supported for sliding axially to enable opposing fianging heads to slide toward and away from each other, and means for achieving such sliding movement.

Referring to Fig. l, a fianging-head shaft 50 is mounted in a support sleeve 52, being constrained by a key 54 against rotation relatively to said sleeve and being suitably locked at its back or left end (as shown in-Fig. 1), against endwise movement relative to said sleeve, except for rather slight endwise adjustment to permit precise fixation of the sliding limits of the fianging assembly in relation to an opposing fianging assembly. The sleeve 52 and the within shaft 50 are slidably supported in sleeve bearings 56 held within a semi-cylindrical bearing recess 57 in the turret by a semi-cylindrical bearing cap 58. The sleeve 52 and the shaft 50 are held against rotation relative to said turret by a key 59 which extends with a sliding fit within an elongate keyway 60- in the sleeve 52. The remainder of the fianging assembly being described comprises the fianging head 40 which may best be understood by reference to Figs. 3 and 4.

Although it will be understood that the entire fianging head 40 moves continuously in a circular path about the axis of shaft as the turret 16 turns with said shaft, the fianging head itself has parts which may conveniently be considered in three categories delineated by reference to the nature of additional movement pursued by the parts. Thus, the fianging head 40 includes: (1) parts which are carried by and are in fixed relation to the fianging-head shaft 50, (2) parts which are carried by the shaft 50 and rotate about said shaft, and (3) parts which are carried by parts in category (2) and rotate about their own axes.

The principal parts in category (1) comprise a flanging-block gear 62 fixed by screws 64 to an enlarged end of shaft 50 (only one such screw being shown), and a fianging block 66 fixed to gear 62 by screws 68.

The principal parts in category (2) comprise a flanging-head rotor 70 rotatably supported on shaft 50 by ball bearings 72, 74 and a fianging-roller mounting ring 76 adjustably fixed for angular adjustment upon segmental portions 78 of the front end of rotor 70 by screws 80 which extend through slots 82 in said segmental portions and are threaded into the ring 76. The back end of the rotor 70 is formed as a spur gear 84 which meshes with a stationary, internally toothed ring gear 86 which, as best seen in Fig. 2, is concentric with respect to main turret shaft 10.

The principal parts in category (3) comprise, in the illustrated embodiment, three approximately similar fianging roller assemblies 88 fixedly mounted concentrically and equidistantly upon mounting ring 76. Each such roller .assembly comprises a fianging-roller 90 (or 90a or 90b, the three being slightly, but importantly, different), fixed by screws 92-to a fianging-roller gear 94, rotatably supported by roller bearing 96 upon a stub shaft 98. This stub shaft extends through an eccentric bushing 100 in mounting ring 76, permitting radial inward or outward adjustment of the fianging roller 90; the stub shaft being fixed to the mounting ring by nuts 102. A gear 104 is held by screws 106 (only one being shown) in intimate side-by-side relation to gear 94; the gears 94 and 104 constituting a single gear which meshes with fianging block gear 62.

As best seen in Fig. 4, the rollers 90, 90a and 90b, respectively, have peripheral, non-forming release portions 91, 91a, 9112, with some differences in shape and/ or location, and peripheral pressing portions 93, 93a, 93b, constituting the remainders of the peripheries of said rollers. Said rollers are more or less floral-shaped, the precise shape being such that, as the rollers roll around the fianging block, as hereinafter explained, sucessive areas of their peripheral pressing portions 93, 93a, 93b maintain a uniformly spaced complemental relation to thefianging block 66, this being true despite the irregular shape of said block and the fact that the axes of said rollers are fixed in relation to the axis of shaft 50. The mentioned spacing is only slightly greater than the thickness of the can-body material.

The several fianging assemblies function similarly. Such an assembly, including both a fianging head 40, sleeve 52 and shaft 50 associated therewith, is arranged to slide back and forth axially so that opposing fianging blocks 66 of opposing fianging assemblies and related fianging rollers 90 (or 90a or 90b) will move forwardly or toward each other to engage opposite ends of a can body C and form flanges thereon. This back-and-forth movement in each fianging assembly is derived from a cam roller 108 (Fig. l), which is mounted by a pin 110 on and toward the back end of sleeve 52 at that side of the latter which directly faces the main or turret shaft 10. The cam roller 108 works Within an outwardly facing track 112 of a cam ring 114, which is suitably mounted fixedly within the machine. The cam track 112 has offset portions therearound which, with the circular movement of the roller 108 in that cam track, will cause said roller, and consequently the entire fianging assembly, to move toward and away from an opposing fianging assembly in a well-understood manner. The cam track is designed to cause such sliding to occur in timed relationship to related parts to yield operation as herein described.

It may be observed from Fig. 3 that the teeth of spur gear 84 are narrower than the teeth of ring gear 86 so that, in the presence of the mentioned back-and-forth sliding of a fianging assembly, the teeth of gear 84 slide from side to side while, nevertheless, remaining in mesh with the teeth of gear 86.

As turret 16 which carries the plural fianging assemblies is constrained to turn continuously with the turret shaft 10, the gear 84, working in stationary gear 86, causes the fianging-head rotor 70 in each fianging assembly to turn continuously about the fianging-head shaft 50 and, of course, all parts carried by the rotor 70 also turn continuously about the shaft 50.

Recognizing that shaft 50 turns only with but not relative to shaft 10, it may be understood that, in relation to the rotor 70 and all parts carried thereby, the shaft 50 and all parts integrated thereon may be considered as stationary. In the same sense, a can body C turns only with and not relative to the can-body holding wheel 38 so that the can body C, during a fianging operation, is always disposed between, and in unchanging mating horizontal and angular alignment with, two opposing fianging blocks 66. When such opposing blocks 66 of two opposing fianging assemblies are urged toward each other by the cam rings 114 at the back ends of said assemblies, said flanging blocks, being formed in the same shape as the interior of the irregularly-shaped can body, similarly enter the opposite ends of the can body forceably (Figs. 5, 6 and 7), whereupon suitably shaped forming surfaces 116 in the opposing flanging blocks 66 cause the end marginal portions of the can body to spread or flare outwardly until the extreme edge 118 of the can body abuts a shoulder 120 formed on the flanging block 66, which shoulder extends completely across the outer end of the forming surface 116 into intimate proximity with an inner face of flanging roller 90. Thus, the shoulder 120 limits the width of the flange being formed and maintains substantial uniformity of such width at all points about the can body.

During the horizontal movement of the flanging head into the described flanging association with the can body, the rotor 70 revolves about flanging-head shaft 50, and gears 94 and 104, functioning as a single gear, roll around flanging-block gear 62 in mesh with the latter. This gear action causes rollers 99, 90a and 90b to roll around the flanging block 66 and causes the peripheral pressing portions 93, 93a, 93b of the rollers to press both radially and laterally against the adjacent margin of the can body, thereby, in effect, ironing said margin to give it a set which persists after removal of the can body from the machine to yield a flange of the kind desired. The flanging block 66 serves as an anvil or ironing bed in the just-described operation.

The non-forming release portions 91, 91a, 91b are so formed that they never approach near enough to the flanging block 66 to interfere with a can-body flange during withdrawal of the flanging block from the can body on a retraction movement of said block. The rollers 90, 90a and 9% are so designed and geared to such operation that, at about the time that a flanging assembly reaches a point at or just beyond point Y (Fig. 2), all three of the release portions 91, 91a, 91b will face the flanging block, leaving intervening spaces, indicated by broken lines in Fig. 4, to enable the formed flange to clear the mentioned rollers as the flanging head withdraws from the flanged can body. The release portions 91, 91a, 91b are long enough and the withdrawal of the flanging head is rapid enough to permit the described releasing of the can body from the flanging head while the machine pursues its uninterrupted operation. As the pressing portions of each roller perform their pressing function upon can-body flange portions which are passed over freely by release portions of the other rollers, all portions of the flange are adequately pressed. The latter result is enhanced, also, by the fact that the rollers pass about a can body several times during a flanging operation.

Restating the machines operation briefly, can bodies C, received from chute 30 by pockets 36, are entered at each end by the flanging block 66 while rollers 90 roll around and give a formed flange the capacity to retain its desired shape initially given to it by the flanging block. Then, when the release portions 93, 93a and 93b are disposed approximately as in Fig. 4, the flanging heads or blocks withdraw from the flanged can body, leaving the latter free to pass from the machine.

Although the described embodiment shows the invention as applied to a turret machine which operates continuously and on both ends of several can bodies at a time, it will be understood that the invention may be practiced in a simpler manner to flange only one can body or only one end thereof at one time. Or it can be practiced to flange only one end each of plural can bodies at a time in a turret-machine arrangement. If any of these alternatives are practiced, the cam, or other means for causing relative horizontal movement of a flanging head and a can body, is suitably changed.

It should be clear that the present inventive concept may be utilized in various ways, other than disclosed herein, without departing from the invention.

I claim:

g 1. The method of forming a flange on a can body, comprising flaring an end-marginal portion of the can body into the shape of a flange by forcing the said endmarginal portion and a flange-forming die together with the die within said end-marginal portion, and, while the die remains within said end-marginal portion, pressing the latter progressively throughout its length intimately between said die and a roller.

2. The method of forming a flange on an irregularlyshaped can body, comprising bending an end marginal portion of the latter into the form of a flange and subjecting one side of said flange to sliding rolling pressure and an adjoining portion of the can body to rolling pressure, meanwhile rigidly backing the opposite side of said flange and the opposite side of said adjoining portion.

3. Apparatus for flanging can bodies, comprising a flange-forming die, means for forcing and holding a can body and said die together to impart a flange shape to an end portion of the can body, rolling means adapted to roll about and in contact with one face of said end portion to press the latter tightly against said die to give it a set and means for imparting such rolling to said rolling means, said rolling means comprising a roller, the axis of which is in fixed spaced relation to a point at the center of said die, said roller having a release portion at its periphery which, when facing said die, is in non-interfering relationship with a flanged can body to enable the latter to be separated from said die.

4. Apparatus for flanging an irregularly-shaped can body, comprising a die having an irregular shape approximating the irregular shape of the can body and an outwardly-flaring forming surface for flaring an end of the can body into the shape of a flange, and rolling means adapted to roll about and intimately upon such a shaped flange to press the latter tightly between said die and said rolling means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, said rolling means comprising a roller arranged to turn on an axis which is in fixed relation to said die, and successive portions of the periphery of said roller being irregularly-shaped substantially complementally to opposing successive portions of said die whereby to accomplish such pressing of the flange as the roller rolls about and upon said flange.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, said roller having a peripheral, non-forming release portion which, in juxtaposition to said die, affords a clear space for withdrawal of a flanged can body from said die without interference by said roller.

7. Apparatus for flanging an irregularly-shaped can body, comprising a die having an irregular shape approximating the irregular shape of the can body, reciprocating means for moving a can body and said die axially into and out of engagement of a kind which causes formation of a flange on an end of the can body, rolling means adapted to roll about said die and upon such a flange during such engagement to press the flange between said die and said rolling means, and can-release means enabling a flanged can body to move out of engagement with said die without interference from said rolling means.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, said die being shiftable axially to enable it to enter into such engagement with a can body and being movable, also, in planes perpendicular to its direction of axial shifting, and said apparatus including a cam arranged to coact with the die, during the latters said perpendicular movement, to cause said axial shifting of the die.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7, said rolling means comprising a roller having successive peripheral portions which are irregularly-shaped substantially complementally to opposing successive portions of said die to adapt the roller to press such a flange between it and said die.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, said can-release means comprising a peripheral portion of said roller which, when opposed to said die, is spaced from the latter sufliciently to permit such a flange to pass between the die and the roller to enable a flanged can body to be removed axially from the die.

11. Apparatus according to claim 7, said die being shiftable axially and movable perpendicularly to its direction of axial shifting and having a flange-forming surface thereon and a shoulder positioned to engage an end edge of a can body sliding upon said surface to terminate such sliding action, said rolling means including a roller having an irregularly-shaped periphery, major portions of which are flange-pressing portions which are in uniformly spaced opposition to peripheral portions of the die and other peripheral portions of which roller constitute said can-release means and provide clearance permit-ting removal of a flanged can body from said die, said apparatus, further, including a cam coacting with said die to impart such axial shifting to the latter.

12. Apparatus for flanging irregularly-shaped can bodies, comprising a rotatable turret, plural, substantially similar flanging assemblies carried by and turning with said turret and adapted to reciprocate axially thereof to engage and flange a can body, each of said assemblies comprising a flanging block of approximately the same irregular shape as can bodies to be flanged, which block is non-rotatable relatively to the turret, a flanging-block gear in fixed concentric coaxial relation to said flanging block, a rotor arranged for rotation about a line coincident with the center of said flanging block, plural flanging rollers, irregularly shaped substantially complementally to said flanging block and mounted on said rotor with their axes fixed in relation to said rotor and said rollers being in position to roll about said flanging block to press a flange of a can body between said block and said rollers, and a separate roller gear in fixed concentric relation to each of said rollers and in mesh with said flanging-block gear to cause said rollers to turn on their axes in response to rotation of said rotor relatively to the flanging block, said apparatus fulther comprising a rotor gear on the rotor of each flanging assembly, a stationary ring gear coacting with said rotor gears to turn said rotors in response to rotation of the turret, and cam means adapted to reciprocate said flanging assemblies in response to rotation of the turret.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, further including a can-body holding wheel constrained to turn with said turret and having can-body holding pockets in axial alignment with said flanging blocks, the apparatus also including means for restraining can bodies against material axial movement to permit flanging engagement of the flanging blocks therewith.

14. The method of forming a flange on an irregularlyshaped can body, comprising bending an end-marginal portion of the latter into the form of a continuous radial flange and simultaneously subjecting one side of said flange and an adjoining portion of the can body to rolling pressure, meanwhile rigidly backing the opposite side of said flange and the opposite side of said adjoining portion of the can body.

15. Apparatus for flanging can bodies, comprising a flange-forming die having an approximately axially extending forming surface and an adjoining, approximately radially extending forming surface, means for forcing and holding a can body and said die together to impart a flange shape to an end portion of the can body, and rolling means coacting with said die to press said flangeshaped end portion and an adjoining portion of the body between the rolling means and the die to give a set to said portions; said rolling means having a side face adapted to slide intimately upon a side face of said end portion to press the latter firmly against said radially extending forming surface of the die and a peripheral surface adapted to roll tightly upon said adjoining portion of the body to press the latter portion firmly against said axially extending forming surface of the die, whereby to give a set to said flange-shaped end portion and said adjoining portion of the can body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,055,418 Rudolphi Mar. 11, 1913 1,114,301 Smith Oct. 20, 1914 1,194,038 Kummel Aug. 8, 1916 1,263,076 Kruse Apr. 16, 1918 1,695,232 Fink Dec. 11, 1928 2,119,666 Cameron June 7, 1938 2,124,743 McMahon July 26, 1938 2,224,666 Brenzinger Dec. 10, 1940 

